Welcome to the Game
Welcome to the Game is a puzzle horror game developed and published by Reflect Studios on June 15, 2016. It was released on Steam for the PC. The game revolves around the player searching through the 'deep web' in order to find special keys on the Anonymous Node Network (A.N.N.) in order to access a 'Red Room', which is a site where users can see and participate in live torture and murder. The player must also search while preventing hacks and also hiding themselves from kidnappers and 'the Breather'. Welcome to the Game received mainly positive reviews, and DLC for the game was released over a year after the initial game was released, including new deep web sites, new components such as the modem, phone and hallway and a new enemy, the Breather. Additionally, a sequel, Welcome to the Game II, was released in early 2018. Gameplay Welcome to the Game uses both a 2D and 3D environment, with the 2D environment being the player's computer screen, and the 3D environment being the player's house, where they can look around and use the different components in their house. On the player's computer, there are two icons the player can click to access two different programs; the A.N.N. and Notes. The A.N.N. (Anonymous Node Network) is a secret network in which the player is able to access many different websites on the deep web, including drug stores, gun stores, hitman-for-hire websites and even doll-makers. This is where the main game takes place, and the player must look through as many websites as possible in order to find eight different 'keys' hidden in some of the websites, and once the player finds all eight keys, they must type them into the search box at the top in order to have the URL to the Red Room, in which the player will have won the game. Also, the player has access to their Notes (based on Notepad), in which the player can write down any keys or useful information they find, however if they fail a hack, there is a chance that they will lose all their notes, causing the player to start from scratch. In the top-right hand of the computer screen, the player can see the current in-game time, and some websites can only accessed at certain times. There is also a calendar, in which the player can see how many days have passed since they started the game. If the player fails a hack, they will lose a random number of days, and if the day count reaches 30, the player will lose. Randomly, or if they click on a link that doesn't work, the player may experience a hack, in which hackers will try to corrupt your system with one of three types of hacks; a DOS attack, a kernel attack and a VAPE attack. When a hack occurs, the player will be prompted with a hack blocker tool, in which they must play a minigame in order to try and prevent the attack. When a DOS attack occurs, the player must click on several nodes in a grid to redirect the packets in the network using arrows to the exit node in order to block the attack. When a kernel attack occurs, the player will be shown several lines of code, and they must retype those lines of code exactly, and the hack will be blocked when the player types every line of code correctly. Finally, when a VAPE attack occurs, the player will once again be shown a grid, however they must move the blocks in the grid so that none are horizontal or vertical to each other, only diagonal. Once all the blocks are diagonal to each other, the hack will be blocked. The hacks have a small time limit to complete, and if a player fails a hack, they will get hacked and will lose several days in order to beat the game, while having a possibility for all their notes to be lost. As the player gets further into the deep web, the more common and harder hacks will become. Also, as the player gets further into the deep web, they will be more vulnerable to kidnappers and 'the Breather'. Kidnappers will appear either near or in your house, and may create noise or move objects in your house, showing that they are inside. If the player feels that a kidnapper is near, they can go into the 3D world and turn off the light switch behind them, shutting off everything in the house, and they can turn the lights back on when they feel the coast is clear, allowing them to use their computer again. If the player fails to turn off the lights when a kidnapper is near or inside their house, the kidnapper will eventually force the player off their computer (if they're using it) and will kidnap them, resulting in a game over. The second main threat, the Breather, was added in the DLC for the game, and can be much more stressful than kidnappers. The Breather will become more common the further the player goes into the deep web, and the Breather will start by calling the player on the phone, and when they answer it, they will simply hear breathing coming out of it. As soon as the call ends, the player must run through the house to their front door and must hold it shut in order to prevent the Breather from entering their house. If the player fails to do this, the Breather will enter the house and will kill them, also resulting in a game over. Category:Puzzle games Category:Horror games Category:Reflect Studios games Category:Steam games Category:PC games